Emerald Chalice

By J. M. Sampson

Merlin lies locked in a crystal prison, the victim of an evil spell cast by a woman he once loved and trusted. After a fortuitous action by a cave explorer causes the sorcerer to awaken after centuries, his consciousness is sent beyond his prison to seek the person capable of freeing him. Merlin is surprised to soon discover that Jamie Todd, a high school senior living half a world away in Chicago, is the one who can release him and wield the sword, Titan’s Blade.

After Merlin is freed by Jamie, it is discovered he is a descendant of the Emerald Knight. With the help of Titan’s Blade, Jamie becomes proficient with his newfound weapons and becomes involved in skirmishes on the two sister worlds of earth: Mideron and Prathos. In the process, he falls under the spell of an elven enchantress while fighting wolflike warthes, trolls, and trogloks. Assisted by human warriors and dwarf and elfin armies, Merlin and Jamie join forces to save the three worlds before it is too late.

In the conclusion to this fast-paced trilogy, a legendary sorcerer imprisoned within an evil spell enlists help from a young man to free him and join him in a battle against an evil dark sorcerer, a malicious elven image, and their troll army.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9781532096976

J. M. Sampson

J. M. Sampson enjoys creating and telling interesting stories. He resides in Florida with his wife and family. Mrs. Cooper’s Bible is his fourth book.

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Copyright © 2020 J. M. Sampson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover Credit: Rose E. Grier Evans

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-9696-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-9697-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020911744

iUniverse rev. date:  07/14/2020

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

This story is

dedicated to law enforcement officers across this great country. When you put on the uniform, you enter a realm that law abiding citizens cannot begin to comprehend. Thank you for your courageous service.

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CHAPTER 1

Merlin began to awaken. Not a physical awakening as one who has been sleeping peacefully through a single night. No, this was an awakening of his conscious thought. Confusion scattered his thoughts as he struggled to bring order to his mind. Panic rose in his chest with the realization that he could not move his limbs and his eyes could not penetrate the total darkness that encompassed him. I must control my mind, focus on my memories.

His mind found calm seas as he pushed the storm of fear aside. His sorcerer’s mind, no longer floundering, now sailed on a steady course of remembrance. With the memories came a sense of sadness. Nimue! The one I loved and trusted. She turned a spell upon me, a spell that binds me in a prison. I wonder how much time has passed since the day of my imprisonment in this crystal cocoon. Though his mind had remained active within the subconscious world of its depths, he had no concept of elapsed time. Light made small inroads upon his thoughts, not through his eyes but within his mind.

Has my folly finally been forgiven by the Creator? I feel the presence of other life forces for the first time in an eternity. My crystalline cell still restrains me, but I feel a resurgence of old power renewing itself.

Merlin reached out of his prison with his mind in a farseeing foray. He turned his focus toward the crystal block from which his mind had escaped. The sorcerer inspected the outer shell of his prison. A feeling of joy filled him with the realization that he could again see the world beyond his trapped body. My prison looks like a large rock. Will I ever gain my freedom from this stone sarcophagus? What is this? Merlin focused on fresh damage to the surface of his prison. A small fissure marked the otherwise solid surface. Chips and flakes around the damage indicated that an object of some sort had struck it. So this is the source of my awakening. What could have caused this?

Merlin heard a voice and turned his attention outward, scanning his surroundings. He was in the same cave where his imprisonment had begun an unknown number of days, or years, in the past. He heard the voice again … a woman’s voice.

John, here is the next mark we blazed on the trek inward.

Merlin heard a man’s voice respond. Good job, Susan. I will make a spelunker of you yet.

The woman approached his prison and held a bright lantern close to the fissure in the stone. Merlin was fascinated by her clothing. She was wearing pants without leg coverings. The flesh of her legs was exposed to public scrutiny. He also noticed her bodice was tied in a knot, exposing a lot of her skin. Can this cave be some part of a private dwelling, allowing her to go about so nakedly?

What she held in her other hand caught his attention. She held a small pick-like tool. She did it! This Susan is the one who struck my prison and opened the fissure. Strike it again! Free me. As he hoped for further intervention, more people approached. Some of them wore battle helms with lanterns attached to them. They are speaking in a language that is obviously derived from the English spoken when I walked the earth. It is different, yet I can understand their words.

Here is the mark, John. We continue in that direction.

As the woman spoke, Merlin saw her point the way. He then noticed about fifteen people were now standing around. All of them wore strange garments. Most of the men and women in the group were clad in clothing much like Susan’s. It was obvious to Merlin that much had changed during his term of imprisonment. He watched helplessly as the group continued on their way without causing further damage to his prison. He heard one of the men say it would be a long time before anyone else would be allowed to explore the cave because the property owner was very restrictive with its use.

As he looked around the cave, Merlin suddenly remembered Galahad. Just moments after Arthur’s last battle, Merlin had been able to weave a spell of healing for the seriously injured knight. Merlin had arrived at the scene too late to help Arthur. Out of all of Arthur’s knights, only the brave Galahad still had breath when the sorcerer reached him. With another act of sorcery, he had transported the knight to his own alchemy lab, with the injured man locked in a deep trance. Does he still live after all these years? The deceit of Nimue and Scul Craitor prevented me from completing my task. Thinking about Scul Craitor, sorcerer of the dark arts, caused anger to well up within Merlin’s chest.

The prisoner turned his concentration to his laboratory and guided his farseeing mind to the site. The cave was dusty. Shelves and tables were falling apart from disuse and the passage of time. Merlin saw his equipment lying in haphazard piles where gravity and the collapse of tables and benches had placed them. It is obvious that my imprisonment has been longer than a few years, but how many?

Against one wall was a stone ledge that supported what he sought. Galahad lay upon the stone bed with a blanket under him. The knight and blanket looked as if they had just been placed there. Merlin was pleased that his spell had held even through his long imprisonment. Galahad, if only I could wake you from this slumber. You could free me from my prison.

As the sorcerer began the process of pulling away from his farseeing, he felt a tug upon his power. More than a tug, this felt like the surge of power he had received when Excalibur had selected a worthy man to wield it. He looked around his ramshackle cave and noticed a familiar sight near one pile of equipment. Califern? How long has it been since you have revealed glimpses of the unknown to me? Moving closer to the cauldron, Merlin noticed the liquid within was still intact and swirling rapidly. What would you show me, Califern? It looks like Midaron, the world humans call Middle Earth. It appears Nimue has not fared as well with Scul as she did with me.

Merlin was looking at a scene within his own fortress in Midaron. There was his deceitfully attractive jailor, Nimue herself. She had been imprisoned and was locked away in a dungeon cell. Her pretty face was twisted in pain because chains fastened to the wall held her suspended by her wrists. Even in her pain, she still displayed the beauty that had led to Merlin’s downfall. She has not changed at all. Perhaps I have not been held in the grip of her sorcery for as long as the evidence seems to indicate. Even with the memory of her betrayal, he could not help himself as he yearned to be able to help her escape her captivity.

As fascinating as the scene was, the sorcerer was more astounded by the guard outside the door. A troll! What is a troll doing in my fortress? The troll stood guard with a battle-ax resting in a sling on his belt. A second troll was descending the stone steps to join the one standing guard at the dungeon cell. The surface of the liquid in Califern roiled, and the scene moved up to the courtyard of the fortress. Merlin found it full of armed trolls. I will try to extend my mind in a farseeing to my fortress on Midaron so that I may hear what is being said. Califern is useful for showing me scenes far away, but it does not relay sound. Merlin was surprised that his sorcery had strengthened enough to accomplish his goal. His mind’s eye peered through the darkness of night, and he heard a man speaking to one of the creatures.

He recognized the voice of his nemesis, Scul Craitor. We will control Midaron if we succeed in taking Terra. The humans have advanced weapons, but my sorcery will protect your warriors from their technology. I have lived among the people who occupy a country called America. For the most part, they are not capable of protecting themselves from determined invaders. The once-great nation has fallen under the boot of politics. They are unwilling to even maintain the integrity of their nation’s borders. The military and police forces will pose the greatest threats, but I have plans that will eliminate the leaders quickly. We should then be able to throw the general population into turmoil. Most of the populace does not carry weapons as we do in Midaron, so they will make easy meals for your kinsmen.

Merlin watched the troll as it stared unblinking at Scul. Why should I trust your words? We are pleased that you saved us from the dwarfs and their human comrades, but we also know a sorcerer is not to be trusted.

Scul snarled and said, Why should you not believe me? If not for me, your kind would be near extinction now. No, Ungral, you owe me a lot. It does not matter whether you think you can trust me. You will show your gratitude for survival by doing exactly as I say.

Merlin was surprised to see Ungral cowed by Scul Craitor. Trolls were not easily swayed by fear. They were creatures who relied on instinct, not emotions.

It will be as you say, Craitor.

Excellent. I have one more task to complete before the doors to Terra can be opened for your warriors to cross over. The Emerald Chalice of Gilead will make me the most powerful sorcerer the world has ever seen. When its power is added to my own, the barriers between Terra and Midaron will be open for your warriors to pass.

Merlin detected a degree of cynicism as he listened to Ungral’s retort. We trolls have heard of the Emerald Chalice. It has long been sought but never found by anyone. What makes you so certain of finding it?

Scul laughed and said, I have already found it. The ignorant humans have it in a museum in a city they call Chicago. They have no concept of the chalice’s true nature.

Merlin again felt a tug of power upon his farseeing mind. How is it possible for me to have the power to farsee into Midaron? I have an unexplainable increase in the strength of my sorcery. In the past, this occurred each time Titan’s Blade chose one who was worthy to be king. He found himself once again in his laboratory, with Califern swirling to form new images. I see a young man, a mere boy. What has he to do with these events? He watched the boy enter a doorway and approach an item sitting on a pedestal within a room filled with relics. The chalice! This boy is somehow involved in the dark happenings unfolding upon two worlds.

The image swirled and was replaced by a new one. The same young man was standing upon a pathway that appeared to be smooth rock. He was standing between mountainous buildings that seemed to surround him. There, next to the boy, stood Merlin. I am wearing the clothing that is of this time. Califern has never been wrong, but how can I succeed in meeting this boy with my body still imprisoned? I have learned over the centuries that all things happen for a purpose. Could it be that the Creator has used the one called Susan to strike my prison, allowing me to see the one who can release me? My freedom from this spell would allow me to stand in Craitor’s way. As Merlin pondered the mystery, his roving consciousness returned to his imprisoned body.

Merlin continued to consider everything he had experienced during his farseeing foray. His power had grown stronger when he viewed the boy in Califern’s images. In my long history with Excalibur, I would regain my full power of sorcery when the sword chose the next king. Never have I experienced such a restoration by merely viewing the chosen in the surface of Califern. Is it possible my powers will be stronger if I seek out the boy? Could it be that Titan’s Blade has selected this boy to be the instrument of my release from this prison? I remember how my sorcery fled from me until I approached Titan’s Blade. During the years I waited for the sword to choose a new king, my power was lessened. Califern has never proven to be wrong. I must try to contact the boy and ask him to help me escape this prison.

The sorcerer made a decision. He would test his power by seeking out the boy he had seen in Califern. If I can succeed in contacting the boy at that distance, it will prove that he is the one causing the increase in my power. To contact him, I will have to do something I have never before attempted. I will need to materialize my image to make my presence known to him. I will also need to vocalize communication with the boy. He would send his mind’s eye across the vast ocean to the place called Chicago, hoping that his sorcery would provide him with the means to interact with a human being.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, Jamie Todd prepared to meet the new day.

Jamie! The voice intruded upon his dream of Lara. Jamie Todd. Get out of that bed. You will be late for school.

Jamie forced himself to sit up and swing his legs over the edge of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and stretched, shaking off the effects of waking to the same dull world he faced every morning. Okay, Mom. I am up.

His mother’s voice prodded, If you are up, why don’t I hear you getting dressed?

Jamie reluctantly stood and made his way to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and saw a thin face staring back at him from beneath tousled blond hair. Blinking, he cleared the sleep from his blue eyes. After completing his ablutions, he quickly dressed and walked into the kitchen.

What’s for breakfast, Mom?

I made your favorite. Blueberry pancakes and sausage. Mrs. Thompson gave me some blueberries yesterday because I helped with her groceries. Karen paused in her activity of preparing breakfast and glanced toward Jamie. Did you wash behind your ears?

Jamie grinned and asked, Why? Do you see potato vines growing?

If I did, young man, I would dig up the potatoes for your supper. Karen laughed as she placed a plate in front of him.

Jamie watched as his mother sat to eat her breakfast. My mother is still an attractive woman. If she could get over Dad’s death, she could find someone to love. Never thought I would want to see her meet someone else, but time has changed my mind. Dad has been gone for three years, and Mother is like a flower that slowly withers because no one is around to care for it.

Karen jolted Jamie from his thoughts. Jamie, are you daydreaming? Finish your breakfast and hit the road. You can’t afford another tardy. Her dark eyes flashed as she shook her neatly brushed black hair with the admonishment against being late.

Jamie cringed as he thought about the Raiders. The gang made his life miserable with their constant threats and harassment. The boy could not understand why they would not leave him alone. Constant vigilance was the byword as he walked to and from school or ran errands for his mother. On many occasions, his legs had been his only means of escaping their brutality. So far, he had been able to outrun the gang. He had never told his mother about them because he didn’t want to add another burden upon her shoulders.

As Jamie stood and slung his book bag over his shoulder, his thoughts turned to Lara Benson. She had recently moved to Chicago with her father, a curator with the Museum of Science and Industry. He smiled as he thought about her green eyes and beautiful blond hair. Hers was the most perfect face he had ever seen.

A sigh escaped his lips as he walked down the stairway to the front door of the apartment building. He knew Lara lived in a world that was far different from his own. She was from a real family that was well-heeled. I, on the other hand, am from a family of two. Mom and I have no close relatives and very little money. Since Dad died, Mom works every hour of overtime she can to make ends meet. I guess it is no wonder she has not met someone interesting enough to date.

Jamie walked down the sidewalk, keeping his head on a swivel as he watched for any sign of the Raiders.

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CHAPTER 2

Jamie found the day in school quite interesting. His senior class was preparing for the coming prom, and he toyed with the idea of asking Lara to go with him. He tried to get up the courage during a couple of the classes they had together. She even smiled at him once. At least he thought she smiled at him. There were a lot of people milling around him as he walked down the hallway between bells. He would have asked her then, but she was talking with two girls.

Jamie shivered at the thought of being rejected in